Past the Meadow Brook
by Comeswithaprice97
Summary: "It was either to be the greatest love story or the most scandalous love affair the Enchanted Forest had ever seen. Depends on who you talk to..." Loosely based off of Wuthering Heights, the story is narrated by Belle, told to a young girl on her fourth birthday. It is her favorite tale. Princess Emma, Pirate Captain Killian, & a love story that will transcend time itself. AU.
1. Long Live the Evil Queen

**Author's Note: Hey, guys, I'm finally back! And with a behemoth of a new idea! (Don't worry-Just Give Me A Reason WILL BE UPDATED SOON. I swear on my life it'll be before Christmas. I swear on Emma Swan, guys.) So, I read Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights in late September to mid October in AP English, and I absolutely fell in love with it (Heathcliff is my favorite-I pictured Colin O'Donoghue when I read it, so...but I really love the character as well). I'm gonna loosely base this fic off of it. I say loosely, because, well first of all they're not gonna die after marrying some random hos and never being together. Hell no. That ain't happening here. Second, this is set in the enchanted forest, not Victorian England, so there'll be magic and the like. Plus, there'll be some other things to keep in mind, but you'll see at the end of the chapter. I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own no rights to any Once Upon A Time Characters or Plots, nor do I own any rights to that of any plots or characters from Wuthering Heights.**

* * *

The little girl was the most beautiful child in all the realms, renowned far and wide for her soft blonde curls, and brilliant blue eyes. She wanders through the palace library, evening dress billowing out before her, as she does every evening. Tonight, however, she is seeking out not a lovely story to read, but a lovely librarian to tell her a tale as old as time.

A tale that is her absolute favorite.

She spies her behind the grand desk in the front of the library, flipping through the pages of an old and weathered hardback. Her chin rests on her palm, elbow on the desktop, and her hair is pulled up in a loose ponytail, small strands falling in front of her eyes. She sits perched upon a stool. She looks peaceful.

Naturally, the girl rushes toward her.

"Belle! Belle!" She yells, arms wide and huge grin on her face.

Belle laughs, and then admonishes, "We're in a library, sweetie. You can't run and you have to be quiet." She gives her a reproving look, one eyebrow arched and all.

"Sorry, sorry." The girl quickly apologizes. "But it's my birthday today, and I wanted to hear a story." She gives the woman a wide eyed look, batting her eyelashes and jutting out her lower lip.

"Well, how could I _ever_ say no to that?" Belle asks rhetorically, and grins at the girl. "And a very happy birthday to you, as well. How old are you now? Twenty three?"

The little girl giggles and Belle smiles. "Noooo." She drags out the word between bursts of laughter. "I'm four years old today!" As she says this, she holds up her four tiny fingers, to emphasize her point.

"Wow," Belle says with a smile. "You're getting quite old, now, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

Belle takes the girl's hand in her own and walks her around the desk and over to a small sitting area in the library by a large marble fireplace. She sits down in one of the three large, plush maroon chairs, and the girl sits on the snow white-colored rug in front of her.

"And what story would you like to hear today, on your birthday?" Belle asks her good-naturedly.

"I would like to hear the story of the princess and the pirate!" She says excitedly, standing and proceeding to jump up and down.

"That one? But you've heard it a thousand times." Belle points out. "Wouldn't you like to hear a different one? Perhaps a story of a thief and a queen? Or a beast and a beauty? A girl in a tower?" She suggests.

"But that one is my _very, absolute favorite story of all time!_" The girl proclaims dramatically, flinging her arms out before her and dropping on the rug with a huff of exasperation.

"Alright, alright. I shall tell you that one. Settle down now." Belle tells her while settling back in her chair. The girl jumps to attention, and sits cross-legged on the rug. "And just so you know," Belle adds, "He wasn't always a pirate, nor was he one for very long."

The girl giggles. "I know, I know!"

She smiles at the girl. "Okay, then. Well, I don't even need a book for this story! I know it by heart!" She tells her.

"Because you experienced it!" The girl exclaims.

"Yes, I did." Belle says with a grin and then begins recounting the lovely tale of the princess and the pirate to the girl sitting before her.

"It was either to be the greatest love story or the most scandalous love affair the Enchanted Forest had ever seen. Depends on who you talk to..."

Princess Emma was the first child of the great Snow White and Prince Charming. Shortly after their wedding, the current Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin, discovered a way to outsmart Peter Pan and send his army in to attack Neverland. He vanquished Pan and rescued his teenaged son, Baelfire, from the villainous hands of his longtime foe and father. When he returned to the Enchanted Forest victorious, he enchanted the dark curse he had given to Regina, The Evil Queen, rendering it null and void, now that he no longer had a need for it. She, however, was furious.

* * *

"You did WHAT?!" Regina screeched, stalking towards Rumple as if she were a predator, and he, prey.

"I glamoured the curse, dearie. Made it a...blank sheet of paper." Rumple said, with a flourish of his hand. "I now have my son, the only purpose for the creation of the curse in the first place. Now that I no longer have a need for it, why would I allow it to still exist? It is the darkest curse. It's power more potent than you can ever imagine. Trust me, dearie...I'm doing you a favor."

"You _twisted_, little imp." The Queen scolded, narrowing her eyes and baring her teeth. "You planned all this, didn't you? To cause me misery." She speaks in her most imperious tone. Every bit the Evil Queen she was so cleverly coined as.

"Whatever do you mean?" Rumple asks, seemingly oblivious to her inferencing.

"This is what everyone does! What they've always done!" Regina screams. "My mother, you, god, even SNOW WHITE! All pretending that I was important enough to rise to power, to be entrusted with the darkest of all magic, to be loved! But I'm not, am I? I'm just a foolish girl who went down a dark path after her lover died. I thought I was important. I was the Queen. I thought I could find happiness. But...Maleficent was right." She laughs, a dry and self-deprecating sound. "I'm not happy. All that is left is a void. One I will never fill. And I didn't even cast the curse. All that's left is a monster." She finishes, defeatedly.

"I don't know about your mother, or Snow White, for that matter," Rumpelstiltskin said. "But I do know that I chose you to cast my curse. That can't have been for nothing. And maybe it's just my son being back in my life that's bringing on all of this kind-heartedness on my part, but you're not as dark as you might think. Just...passionate, shall we say, what with how you go about things." He finished.

He, Regina realized, was actually, half-heartedly, trying to make her feel better.

Maybe the return of his son really was a good thing.

Well, maybe for him. But not for Regina. Not for her happiness.

"_Passionate?_" The Queen scoffed, clearly irritated. "Please. Just don't." With that, she reached into her chest and ripped out her own heart for Rumpelstiltskin to see. "This," she seethed, holding the red heart, which was covered with black vines of darkness, and brandishing it in his face. "Is darkness. Pure darkness. I was never anything more than a pawn in your story. My story ended, along with the little goodness that was in my heart, the moment my Daniel died." She replaces the heart gently, then goes on to say, "I have nothing."

Rumpelstiltskin sighs. "Well, dearie," he begins. "My heart was extremely darker than yours ever will be. My wife left me and my son, to be a whore to the pirate Blackbeard, though she overestimated her worth greatly when she ended up being killed by him. _Women, right_?" He scoffs. Regina gives him an unamused look. "Then I lost my son to the very darkness I had accepted just to save him from the Ogre Wars. I chose power over love. Everyone deserves a second chance, Regina. My boy has given me that. I truly hope that you will find it one day." With that said, he flicks his wrist and disappears in a puff of purple smoke.

"Really?" Regina asks the empty room, sarcasm dripping from her words.

* * *

With the dark curse null and void, and no way for Regina's happiness to ever take root, the Queen had spent her days sulking about the castle, and resorting to her old ways and ideas of trying to kill her mortal enemy, Snow White.

Snow White and Prince Charming, however, were experiencing a very happy marriage.

Their wedding was glorious, and oddly enough, there were no interruptions from a certain Evil Queen. Charming was thoroughly pleased, and eager to start a family with his bride. Snow, on the other hand, was anxious and suspicious of the lack of threats from the lovely Regina.

"She is _out there_, Charming!" Snow White yelled at her husband, flailing her arms about in their palace, effectively ruining the mood of their honeymoon.

"I know that, Snow." Her true love responded wearily, already quite tired of the amount of attention his wife gave to her arch nemesis over him, her true love and husband.

"She's just waiting to make a move. Waiting for us to let our guard down. How can we start a family and bring a child into a world where she will always be threatened by that woman? How?"

Charming walked over to Snow, who had now buried her face in her hands, and was sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"My dear, I understand your worries. Your fears are not only yours to bear; they are mine, too. But she cannot fight us forever. We will succeed." He told her in a firm voice.

Snow sighed and leaned back into her husband.

"I hope you're right."

* * *

"In an effort to be brief, and skip over any unimportant facts, the story shall continue as so." Belle told the young girl.

"How so?" The little girl with the blonde curls asked.

"Like this, if you'd pay attention." Belle chided her, with a seemingly contradictory smile on her face.

"The winter had passed, as well as the spring, and the last, heated days of summer were in our midst..."

* * *

Snow White and Prince Charming were expecting their first child sometime in the next two months. A time that should have been one of the happiest times of their lives.

Should have been, being the key term.

Alas, it was not.

They were, instead, anxiously awaiting the inevitable wrath of their longest-standing nemesis, Snow's once step-mother, Regina, or, as she had been more widely known, The Evil Queen.

What with the Dark Curse torn to shreds and the temper on that woman, they were petrified.

They hadn't heard from Regina since the night of their wedding, and they weren't entirely sure of her intentions towards them-and their unborn child. And kingdom.

They weren't entirely sure, but they knew they weren't good intentions. How could they be?

Charming had called in the cavalry, and every guard in the land was posted at the castle and ready to assist in a heartbeat. Snow had worked with the fairies to go about engulfing the castle in a protection spell-using only the lightest of magic-to keep Regina out. The Dark One even decided to help when his son had pressured him into "doing good". He let the good King and Queen in on a little secret-strands of their hair (true love), could be concocted into a potion that could do magical and mystical things.

Things like ward off a bloodthirsty Evil Queen on a quest to quench her thirst for vengeance.

As the King and Queen prepared for the worst, Regina was actually in a deep depression. Her happiness had ended several years prior, and the darkness that she had succumbed to to fill that empty void, was wearing off. And, in it's place, leaving an even deeper void.

She was filled with sorrow.

Her heart felt empty, and cold, and dark. While Snow White was off gallivanting with her Prince Charming (ugh), happy and expectant of a child, she was here. Alone and, for once in her life, without a plan. It was devastating.

She decided to take a horseback ride (one like she would have done as a young girl, whenever depressed-one she hadn't had the opportunity to do in ages) out into the forest surrounding her castle.

It would be, however, a journey not soon forgotten.

"Because that's when she met-" the little girl interrupted, excitedly tripping over her words in her haste to get them out.

"Hey, hey, wait a minute!" Belle said. "We haven't gotten there yet."

The girl gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Belle." She said with a sheepish grin.

"Ever your father's daughter." Belle claimed, then smiled softly at the child. "It's alright, but let's continue, okay?"

"Alright."

* * *

Regina mounted her steed and entered the forest. She spent hours on her sleek, black horse meandering through until she reached the outskirts of the boundary surrounding the land she still reigned over. Her mind consumed with thoughts of her unsatisfactory dilemma, she wasn't quite looking where she was going, and managed to run into a band of thieves. Galloping past her very fast on their own steeds, she lost her balance and fell to the forest floor. Angry and dirty, she scowled and tried to stand, but her ankle was broken. She began conjuring a fireball (and also, if she was being honest, a snarky remark) to throw at the burly man who had caused her to fall, when a man on a chestnut-colored horse stopped before her and held out his hand.

Not that she'd admit it to anyone, ever, but the man was quite striking, blue eyed and fair, with light brown hair and a polite smile fixed upon his face. Still, she scowled.

"Apologies, milady," he proclaimed, and she found his accent quite intriguing (not that she'd admit it) as he spoke to her. "Little John doesn't always look where he's going, but that is absolutely no excuse for him to knock down a woman as beautiful as yourself." He smiled charmingly at her.

"Ugh," she replied, ignoring his proffered hand and standing up herself. "Well, maybe he should spend less time thinking about food, and more time thinking about looking where he's going." She barked back at him. "And I am _not_ your lady. I'm _the Queen!_"

"But of course." He said, a twinkle in his eye. "But perhaps you wouldn't be so quick to judge him, considering you did not appear to be looking where you were going either." He gave her a pointed look.

"How dare you say such things to me!" She yelled at him, hot rage burning in her gaze. She was on fire, which excited her oh so very much, considering it was the first time she'd felt such passionate anger towards anyone in the past several months.

He looked about ready to fire back at her, when all of a sudden a small voice piped up. "Papa?" The voice asked. Regina wondered where it came from and turned her head in the same direction as the man, towards the sound of the voice. As if on cue, a small head peered around the man's horse and stared at him wide-eyed. To Regina, the boy appeared to be no more than four years old, and his big brown eyes and head of dark curls were enough to make even her darkened heart begin to melt.

Damn.

The man dismounted his horse and approached the boy, gathering him in his arms. "It's alright, Roland." He told him. "I'm just conversing with this nice lady, here. Oh, but she is the Queen, as well, my boy. Why don't you say hello?" He asked him.

The boy appeared to be a bit shy, but still held out his hand and pleasantly introduced himself to Regina. "Hello, my name is Roland. You're the Queen?" He asked.

Unable to be cruel to this sweet and innocent boy (no matter how much his father irked her), Regina managed a smile and shook the boy's hand. "Why, yes I am." She said with genuine kindness. "Nice to meet you, Roland."

"You, too." The boy said, then pulled his hand back and ducked his head into his father's chest. The man laughed and ruffled the top of the boy's head affectionately. "He appears to like you." He told Regina.

"Well, he's got good taste." She told him, with no small amount of sass backing her words. "And who might you be?"

"Robin of Lockesly," the man replied courteously. "At your service."

"Robin?" Regina asked, with raised eyebrows. "The thief?"

"I prefer to be considered a kind...giver of sorts." He answered.

"Yes, because you steal from the rich and give to the poor, right?" She gives him an unamused look. "That's still stealing."

"Forgive me if I'm incorrect, but don't you rip out people's hearts?" He fires back.

_'Damn,'_ she thinks. _'The man's got balls.' _"Touché." She replies.

Regina went home soon after her conversation with Robin Hood, but found herself quite compelled to travel into the forest in the days that followed her encounter with him.

Needless to say, both found themselves completely taken and enamored with one another, and Regina found a way to be happy. Without destroying the lives and happiness of others.

"Because he was the man with the lion tattoo that TinkerBell told her about!" The little girl interrupted, once again. "Her _true_ love!"

"Yes, he was. But that's another story." Belle tells her. "One you didn't want to hear, might I add."

"Because I _love_ this story!" She exclaimed.

"I know you do. So let's continue with it, shall we?" Belle said. "And dear, you have to stop interrupting me if you want me to finish before it's time for your birthday celebration, okay?" Belle gives the daughter of her best friend a pointed look.

The little girl huffs in exasperation. "Okay, okay." She says. "I understand."

"Good."

* * *

October the 23rd had arrived and the beautiful Snow White realized she was in labor with her first child.

Her prince, David (or Charming, as he was more colorfully known), and the dwarf Doc, took her to her chambers, and prepared her for her daughter's birth.

She named her Emma.

It was exciting, for Snow and David both, to be able to hold their daughter with no fear of having to place her in a magical, enchanted wardrobe and send her to an unknown realm all alone.

"She's beautiful," David told his wife tearfully. "She has your eyes." He looked at her with a tearful smile on his face as he told her.

"Oh, but look! She's smiling!" Snow exclaimed to her husband. "It's your smile, Charming." She grinned up at him.

"She's definitely an intelligent baby, then."

"Definitely."

All of a sudden, Grumpy burst through the door to Snow and Charming's chambers, yelling, "TERRIBLE NEWS! TERRIBLE NEWS!"

His shouts caused Princess Emma to begin to cry.

"Grumpy, Grumpy," David said to the dwarf, attempting to calm him down. "There's no need to shout. Look, you've made my daughter cry." He pointed at Emma.

"I'm sorry, Charming," he replied bitingly. "But I think this is something you need to know." He looked at the King and Queen, blank looks on both of their faces. "Now!" He said with a look of wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

"What is it, Grumpy?" Snow asked with a slightly irritated tone of voice.

"The. _Evil._ Queen." Grumpy told them, emphasizing each word with a slightly higher raise of his eyebrows.

"What about her?" Snow asked, rocking Emma back and forth in her arms, trying to soothe her.

"She's here." He told Snow. "Just downstairs."

The blood drained from the pretty Queen's face in fear and anxiety as she processed the words of her trusted friend. She pulled Emma closer to her body, holding her so tightly that the baby began to cry once again.

Her face grew to be so pale that she lived up to her namesake.

David, hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword and poised to attack (his body positioned in such a way that he blocked Snow and Emma from plain view, said to Grumpy, "Get. Her. Out. Of. Here." in a low and dangerous tone of voice.

"Actually," Grumpy said. "You might want to hear what she has to say first."

"What?" Snow asked dumbfounded.

"Oh, just listen." Grumpy said pointedly.

Both Snow and Charming were completely lost on the meaning of Grumpy's words, but before they could spend anymore time pondering them, the door opened slightly, and Regina stepped through, followed by a tall man with light hair, and a small boy with brown eyes.

The strange thing about Regina though, was that even though she had been dressed in fancy clothing, she was not in her usual attire. She looked much more like she had as a young woman. Like she had the day Snow White's own father had proposed to her.

"Hi," she began, with a tone quite strained. She turned her head slightly towards the man, who gave her an encouraging smile, which the little boy mirrored, and then she turned back to Snow and David.

The King and Queen gave their so-called "nemesis" matching confounded looks. Her attitude was shocking to them. Just eleven months earlier she had been at their wedding with a terrifying warning of destroying their happiness. Now, she was here at their palace and seemingly compliant and tame? It was a very interesting and confusing prospect.

"What are you doing here, Regina?" David demanded, stepping forward to conceal Snow and Emma from her view. His knuckles were turning white, due to his iron-grip on the hilt of his sword.

The former Queen sighed, and the man joining her gave her a little nudge, to which she glared at him in response. However, the glare didn't appear to have any fire behind it; it appeared to be fueled by...love.

The whole scene was strange, indeed.

"I'm here to propose a...truce. Of sorts." Regina replied smoothly.

"A...truce?" Charming asked, grip slightly loosening on his sword, as be realized Regina was apparently not a threat.

"Yes." The not-so Evil Queen huffed impatiently. "A truce. I no longer wish to harm you or Snow or your...baby." She said with no lack of disgust. The man to her side elbowed her and she scowled.

"So that's it?" Charming asked, more than a little befuddled. "You just don't want to hurt us or our family or our kingdom anymore? Why?"

Regina groaned. "Honestly, I can't get anywhere with you two!" She exclaimed. Steeling herself, she replied, "I guess you could say I found a bit of happiness on my own." She exchanged a loving smile with the man beside her.

"Well, what's in it for you?" Charming demanded, seemingly oblivious to the obvious love between the couple before him.

"Nothing!" Regina said, more than a little offended. "You can have your precious kingdom and perfect family. I just want to stay in my castle and be in peace." She paused and looked at the man and the child. "With my newfound family," she added with a soft smile.

"And how do we know you'll uphold your end of the bargain?" Snow piped up from the bed. Charming stepped to the side to allow her to be in Regina's line of sight. "How do we know you'll leave us alone? For good."

Regina sighed. "Look," she began. "I know we don't have the best history. In fact, it's the worst history any two people could ever have." She let out a soft, breathy chuckle. "But...I was hoping we could, maybe...finally look past it all? Maybe finally be a real family. I really have changed, Snow. I know what happened with Daniel and my mother wasn't entirely your fault. And it definitely wasn't a burden I should have left a ten year old child to bear on her own." She exhaled sharply. "So...what do you say? Do you think you might be able to forgive me?" She looked at her with a hopeful glint in her eye.

Snow White sighed, long and deep. "I don't know Regina. I mean, after all, it took you eighteen years and many, many kills, to forgive me. I can't just drop everything and forgive you for the years of torment you've caused me and the countless, innocent lives you took in the process." Regina's face fell slightly with her words. Snow then looked from Regina to the man that stood steadfastly at her side, little boy tucked in his arms. With another, this time playful, sigh, she added, "But I can't say I'm not willing to try." She gave the woman a half-smile. Regina grinned at her in response.

"Good."

Charming looked back and forth between the two women with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He looked to his wife, and on seeing the knowing look upon her face and the brisk nod she gave him, he had all the information he needed to know. Regina had changed, finally, and for the better.

"Now," Snow White said, sitting up and cradling Emma to her chest. She smiled happily. "Who might these two fine men be?"

* * *

**So, how'd you like it? Regina's redemption, Rumple's reunion? Hehe, alliteration. Did it fit to all of you guys' likings? More to come!**

**And what are your thoughts on the little girl? Any ideas? Wanna express your thoughts in the reviews? It'll please me. *Smiles widely at all***

**Some things to keep in mind, however:**

**-Belle, in the present time telling the story to the little girl, is the same age she is on the show (which, I'm just assuming is twenty six, so bear with me, here.) Some things are different from the show's canon-ness, but this is an AU-kind of story, so oh well. She never existed in the "before times" (Snow and Charming's era), so no cute love story with Rumple and the chipped cup and the rose, but we'll get to that soon enough, so hold on.**

**-Killian does not exist in the "before times" nor has he yet to make an appearance. Rumple doesn't know him, because he was born just a year before Emma in my timeline. The whole fiasco with Rumple's devil-whore of a first wife shall be dealt with, just without Killian playing a role in any of that nonsense.**

**-We'll get to Henry. His lineage shall be slightly different, but we'll get to him. **

**-Cora's dead, though. In my mind (and this won't be written in the text, as far as I've gotten with this), she died of old age ruling over Wonderland by the time Emma was born. Oh, and Jefferson got out sometime shortly before then. Otherwise, how would he have even been in Storybrooke during the first Dark Curse (on the show) when Jafar and The Red Queen and all their buddies never made an appearance? So, he was reunited with Grace around that time-but that's not really relevant, so whatever.**

**Musical Inspiration: 1989 album Deluxe Edition-Mostly "You Are In Love" and "This Love", though. Thanks Taylor! **


	2. Of Fantastic Beginnings

**Hello! I return to you all over half a year later. I really must get up on these updates and not be so nitpicky with my writing. I am not Shakespeare-there is no need for absolute perfection.**

**And even still, I find grammar errors and spelling mistakes as I read through updates and one-shots I have already published.**

**Also, the offer still stands, if anyone would like to beta for me. I could really, truly use one. Please, just PM me on here, or DM me on Instagram. I'm theladyswan. **

**Zerousy asked: I really like this fic! I hope another chapter comes soon because it's really good. I love the redemption Regina asks for and how everything tuned out, especially the part where it was Blackbeared Milah ran off with which leaves a bit of mystery as to where Hook will be in the story and what king betrayed him if any? And is Elsa and Anna going to be in the story,?**

**First, thank you for the support! I love that you like my story! And I do so hope that you continue to read and like it, even though I'm slow as a snail at updating. **

**Well, we will get to Hook and a "revenge quest" later. We're going on Emma growing up (and he will play a bit of a "Heathcliff" role in this story, as Emma will be a bit of a "Catherine Earnshaw" to the story-this is a loosely-based fic however, meaning you do not have to know the story of Wuthering Heights to understand it, nor will either of these characters be as "evil" as the main characters of** **Wuthering Heights have been coined to be. As for Anna and Elsa, they're going to be in it-I love Frozen and Georgina Haig and Elizabeth Lail's portrayals of both characters too much to not have them in my story-however, we won't see them until what will be known as "Part Two" of this long, long fic. As far as we know right now, Elsa's in an urn in Rumpelstiltskin's super-creepy magic vault, and all of Arendelle has been f****rozen by the uber-creepy Snow Queen.**

**Also, the Snow Queen currently resides in our world, as she is not privy to the fact that the dark curse has not occurred. **

**Hmm. Hehehe.**

**Also, someone other than a king will be betraying him...well, at least, he will consider it a betrayal-and it will lead to his-never mind, I've said too much already. If you're familiar with Wuthering Heights, you'll already know somewhat of what I am talking about. But, if not, fear not! You wouldn't rather be spoiled anyway, would you? Haha. **

**Oh, and as for Savior Emma Swan's ideas of who the little girl is..hmm, your guesses are appreciated and quite close. Hehe.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing, nothing at all.**

* * *

**Of Fantastic Beginnings**

Emma was truly a gift to her parents and all of the kingdom. She was a fair and beautiful infant, light blonde hair, vibrant jade eyes. She was lovely.

Snow and Charming name Red her godmother, as she's Snow's best friend, and, as both parents have agreed, the best person for the job.

They're just so incredibly overjoyed that they actually get to experience this, with her.

The Dark Curse could have caused so much suffering and sorrow for so many inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest, but none more so than Snow White and her Prince Charming.

Granted, the Evil Queen's-excuse me-Regina's wrath was entirely directed towards destroying Snow White's happy ending, but even so, the curse would have ripped their family apart.

Princess Emma would have grown up alone.

She would have been an orphan.

She would have grown up unloved.

They don't know much about The Land Without Magic, but they are very glad that they did not have to make a spur of the moment decision and send their daughter through an enchanted wardrobe to an unknown land, to grow up alone, in the hopes that one day, almost three decades from now, she would find them and save them.

There is not a person in the Enchanted Forest, or anywhere in this realm that the curse might have hit, that is more ecstatic that it did not occur, that Regina forgave Snow and let go of her anger, than Snow White and her husband.

Emma was doted upon, loved, and completely showered with presents, gifts, love; practically anything and everything one could think of.

When one dwells upon the 'what could have beens' and the 'what might have beens', it is a sad affair. So, whenever Queen Snow or King David had any such one of those uneasy thoughts, they showered Emma with more love.

She was, dare anyone say, the most loved child in all the kingdom, if not all the realms.

And it wasn't just her parents that enjoyed seeing her smile with joy when she received a gift, no, it was her parents' friends, as well.

Regina loved to dote upon her little (technical) granddaughter, as well as her lover Robin. Regina gave her jewels and gemstones, all the jewelry a Princess could hope for to grow up fabulously, and Robin provided her with many stuffed toys (thankfully, not actually "stuffed animals"). Princess Ella and Prince Thomas provided her with many gifts as well. As did all of the seven dwarves (her many godfathers), Red and her Granny (who, by the way knitted Emma's baby blanket), and the entirety of the Kingdom showed their affection to the couple's firstborn child by bestowing extremely lavish gifts at their feet.

She was a truly adored child.

Perhaps the most unseemly gift Emma received, was from that of the Huntsman, in the form of an infant-yet, fire breathing-dragon.

Snow and Charming were, to say the least, appalled at the gift, for fear of their only daughter's safety. However, their good-nature and politeness allowed them to properly thank the Huntsman for his gift, with grace.

Charming smiled tightly at the man whom had once aided his quest to save his beloved Snow White from the ill-born wrath of Regina.

"Thank you, Huntsman," he began. "For this...extraordinary gift. I am quite certain Emma will love it."

"Him." The Huntsman corrected. "The dragon is a he."

"Him." Charming repeated, tight smirk still plastered to his face.

"What Charming means to say," Snow cut in graciously, with a subtle elbow to her husband's ribcage. "Is that while we appreciate this...clearly lavish gift, we don't seem to understand exactly why you have given it to Emma. She's only an infant, you know?"

The King and Queen exchanged twin perplexed looks.

The Huntsman chuckled. "The dragon is for her protection, of course. As they grow alongside one another, they will form an unbreakable bond. Together, it will be as though they are one. The dragon will protect her fiercely, and love her just the same. And, hopefully, Emma will do the same for the dragon-whatever name she wishes to call it by." He explained calmly.

Snow breathed out a hesitant sigh of relief. "Oh. Okay. Okay, then. That is...great. I suppose." She smiled gently at her old friend.

The Huntsman grinned back at her.

At that moment, young Princess Emma began to crawl toward the dragon, as she had begun crawling throughout the castle only weeks before, and, as her parents looked on with bated breath, she reached a single hand towards it, and patted it on the head with her palm.

Her parents each let out a heavy sigh of relief.

The dragon immediately nuzzled into her palm and then promptly licked it. The Princess giggled gleefully in return, and threw her arms around her new friend, laughing wickedly.

The Huntsman leaned towards the Queen and said, "I think she likes him."

The Queen could only nod her assent.

As Princess Emma began to grow from an infant into a mischievous toddler, her parents-and the rest of those living and visiting in the castle-found it hard to keep up with her and her pet dragon and best comrade, accurately named by the Princess herself, Speedy.

At the age of three, Emma learned that the wings that her Dragon friend possessed were not only for decoration.

"Emma? Emma! Emma, get down from there!" Snow yelled frantically as she looked into the sky and saw her toddler dangling from the tail of the young dragon.

Emma giggled wildly. "Hi, mommy!" She yelled excitedly, waving one hand.

"No, no! Emma! Emma, hold on to the dragon! Emma!" Her mother yelled, hurriedly sprinting from the castle balcony to the gardens outside. "Charming? Charming! Someone please find Charming! Emma, get down from there!"

"But mommy, it's fun!" Emma giggled as she continued to hang from her dragon pal.

Charming ran outside, having heard the commotion. "Oh my god, Emma! What are you doing!" He yelled to his young daughter. "Get down from there!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell her!" His wife yelled back at him.

"Well, we have to do something!" Charming yelled, eyes blazing in anger and fear for his adventurous child.

"You think I'm doing nothing?!" Snow retorted, offense dripping off of her tone.

"Of course not, but-no, now is not the time for arguing. We have to get her down from there!"

"I couldn't agree more." She said sweetly-too sweetly to actually have meant it as such.

"Wonderful." Her husband muttered under his breath.

They huddled together as they ran towards the tree their daughter was currently hovering above, still clinging to the tail of her dragon.

"Emma! Emma!" Her mother shouted up at her, frantically waving her arms above her head to try and get her daughter's attention.

"Emma, sweetie, tell the dragon to land!" Her father yelled to her.

Emma giggled. "No, daddy, I want to fly!" She yelled back, kicking her legs in the air as if she were swimming. "I can fly!"

Snow groaned. "Oh dear gods, help us." She murmured. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she looked over at one of her best friends. "Red!" She called to the raven-haired, werewolf beauty.

"Yes?" Ruby, who was more oftentimes referred to as Red, asked as she turned and started striding towards her friend.

"Can you change?" Snow asked her, a strange glint in her eyes.

Ruby looked startled, looking down at her bodice, then down further to the hem of her dress. "Really? Why? I mean, not that I'm questioning your judgement, Snow. It's just that I don't think this is too inappropriate. I mean, the hem of my skirt is well below my ankles and my bodice doesn't even come down that far! I know you're a new mother now and all, but don't you think you've gotten a little bit stingier in your apparel now that you have Emma? I mean, seriously, honey, it's gotten quite-"

"No!" Snow interrupted, hushing her husband, who looked all too amused at the entertainment before him, perhaps agreeing with Ruby's complaints towards his wife's newfound stinginess as a mother. "N-no, I mean-I mean your dress is fine. It's lovely, truly, just-" she stammered, attempting to get her point across quite quickly, as her eyes continued darting towards the sky above her, where her daughter was still giggling and flying. "I meant, can you change? Into the wolf." She added when Ruby continued to look at her quite quizzically.

Ruby's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh," she drawled out. "Okay, I've got you." Ruby focused on her friend before her, as the guards and dwarves that were crowded around outside hastily retreated behind her. Her eyes changed from light gray-green to a gorgeous, deep amber hue, and her face hardened animalistically. Then, all of a sudden she transformed into the wolf, faster than the blink of an eye.

* * *

_"Really?"_ The teeny blonde asked, one dark eyebrow arching skeptically on her forehead.

"Truly." Belle replied with a smile. "Spitting image of your mother, you are, with that skepticism." She teased gently.

"I just don't understand how she could shift so fast?" The girl asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"You've seen Ruby in action, haven't you?" Belle asked, to which the girl nodded her assent. "So, you know that she can, of course. The wolf is a quick-actioned being. Would you like me to recite you a history on them?"

"No, no!" The little girl hastily objected, while Belle chuckled under her breath. "I want to hear the Pirate Princess story, please. I don't need to know the history of we-here-wolves." She mispronounced, to Belle's amusement. "I want you to finish the story, please." She batted her eyelashes.

"Alright, alright," Belle said. "Stop interrupting me, then." She chastised teasingly. The little girl looked rightly offended. "I did not!"

"You did." Belle said firmly. "But, let's continue." The little girl quieted down and sat still in front of Belle, listening intently.

* * *

Once Ruby became the wolf, she turned her head up towards the sky and howled. In a moment, she had jumped up into the air above the crowd of people and pulled Emma and her dragon safely back onto the ground, if not a bit forcefully.

"Hey!" Emma complained as her feet hit the ground. "We were flying, Auntie Red!" She appeared ever the petulant child, eyes flashing and bottom lip caught angrily between her teeth as she crossed her arms over her chest. "No fair."

Her parents sighed, and Red shifted back into her human form. "Emma," her mother started, looking at her daughter sternly. "You can't just decide that you want to go flying one morning. It's not safe."

"He wouldn't have let me fall. He loves me." Emma countered firmly.

"You could have gotten hurt. Your dragon isn't quite as skilled or adept at flying as you believe him to be, honey." Her father added, nodding at Snow. "Your mother and I were terribly worried."

Emma's eyes softened, as her angered stance let up. "I'm sorry, daddy. I didn't mean to scare you." She said, looking up at her father with wide, shining emerald eyes.

Charming's eyes softened as he looked to his young daughter, all thoughts of punishing her abandoned. "I know, dear, I know. It's alright. Just don't do it again. You could have hurt yourself terribly." He told her as he raised a knowing brow. "And the what would your mother and I have done. We couldn't bear to ever see you hurt or in pain. Ever."

"I know, daddy. I'm sorry. I won't do it again." She said. Then her face brightened with a flash of something. "Without permission." She added quickly.

Her father chuckled as her mother once again sighed. "Right." He told her with a wink.

Emma grinned broadly, then her grin quickly faded as she heard a loud and pained snort. "Oh no!" She cried. "Speedy!"

Snow and Charming looked at each other, and then their daughter, quizzically.

"Speedy?" Snow asked her daughter. "You finally named the dragon?"

"Hmm." Charming mused. "Speedy. Fitting." Snow backhanded him in the ribs. "Ow!" He spit out indignantly. She narrowed her eyes at him, then shook her head as she rolled her eyes and turned away from him. He stared at the back of her head in disbelief.

"Well, okay then." He huffed.

"Emma, what is it?" Snow asked her daughter, blatantly ignoring her husband's comment.

Emma looked up at her mother with wide and panicked eyes. "Mommy, I think Speedy got hurt when we landed!" She cried aloud. "I think he's hurt!" Emma fell to her knees and knelt beside the fallen dragon, stroking his back with the knuckles of her left hand. "He's breathing funny."

Her mother and father shared a look and then her father checked the dragon's pulse and breathing tempo. "Emma," he started, trying to get his daughter's attention. "Emma." She glanced at him then, quickly, and then went back to fawning over her beloved dragon. "Emma, I think he's fine."

That got her attention.

"What?" She asked as she looked up at her father, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"He's fine, Emma. He's just playing dead." He father told her, eyes crinkling in amusement.

"He's...fine?" She asked, her own eyes widening in understanding. "He's fi-he's fine?!" She cried as she jumped to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at her dragon. The dragon opened one mischievous eye and looked and her, and then closed it tightly. "You're fine?!" Emma shouted. "How could you lie to me? How could you scare me like that? I thought you were hurt, Speedy." Her eyes held sadness as she finished exploding at her dragon .

Her mother looked down at her beseechingly and said, "Now you understand our worry, sweetheart." She raised an eyebrow as she looked down at her daughter.

"Oh," Emma said, embarrassment flushing her cheeks. "I guess I do." She looked up at her mother. "I'm so sorry, mommy. I was just having fun."

Snow smiled at Emma. "Emma, honey, I know. And I want you to have fun. But you need to stay safe and try not to worry your father and I so harshly. Okay?"

"Okay, mommy." She said.

Snow pulled Emma into a hug and Charming followed them. All of a sudden, Speedy jumped up and flew over to the three of them, licking a big, wet stripe up the side of Emma's face.

"Ew, Speedy!" Emma giggled.

And the three of them laughed in happiness.

When Princess Emma reached the age of five, she received her very first important Princess Duty.

"Now, Emma, you know what to do, correct?" Her step-grandmother asked her gently.

"Yes, Regina. I walked down the hall and pass the guests." Emma told her with a triumphant grin plastered to her face.

"And what else do you do?" Regina asked-a tad anxiously.

Emma gave her a bored look. "I drop the petals from the basket and sprinkle them to the ground." She told her. "That's what a flower girl does, right?"

Regina smiled proudly at her step-granddaughter. "Right." She told her.

"Excuse me, your highness." A handmaiden had tapped Regina on the shoulder, interrupting the conversation. The woman smiled broadly at the former Evil Queen. "It's time." She told her.

"Well," Regina said on a sigh. "I suppose I should get ready to go then." She looked down at her sleeveless, floor length, white-as-snow (no pun, intended) silk ball gown, which had been embroidered with diamonds all through the skirt, so as to make it shimmer, and bejeweled with crystals in the bodice-which had been cut in such a way so as to, ahem, expose her, ah...assets. The white lace veil covered her face, and fanned out over her hair, which was done up extravagantly in an updo, which left two curled strands framing her lovely face-polished in makeup that defined her natural beauty. The updo had been finished with a small, glittering tiara that had been placed upon Regina's head. It was a circle-that had looked a bit like a thorny vines with leaves garland placed atop her head, yet the vines were silver and the leaves were comprised of diamonds and rubies. Her shoes-though hardly visible, yet quite important-were white strapless heels that gave her three inches in height, so as to look confident, yet not so very imposing (as many of her footwear choices had done when she had been known as the "Evil Queen").

She looked magnificent. But, then again, she was the queen.

A gasp was heard from the entryway. "Oh my. Regina. You look wonderful." Snow White beamed in awe. She was grinning broadly at her step-mother, so proud of her finally finding her happily ever after-and making it official.

Regina turned to look at Snow White, smiling hesitantly-once more looking the part of the young woman who had been Snow's heroic savior all those years ago. "Really?" She asked, her smile faltering quite a bit, as she once again looked down at herself. "You don't think it's too...much?" She raised her head to face Snow, an imploring look in her eyes.

"No," Snow shook her head, grinning. "It's not too much. It's perfect, Regina. Really." She sighed with a smile. "I'm so happy for you." She added tearfully.

"Thank you." Regina replied gratefully.

"Ahem." Emma cleared her throat. The two women looked down at her, blonde curls hanging loosely down her back, whilst donning a lavender ball gown with a pink bow tied around her waist, translucent stockings and tiny lavender flats. A single silver butterfly hair clip was placed in her hair, shimmering with amethysts and diamonds coating the wings. "Are we ready to get started?" She asked, with no hint of authority in her tone-no doubt garnered from her father.

Regina giggled, and Snow knelt down to face her daughter. "You, my dear, look adorable!" She beamed, a heart-melting look on her face. She tugged her daughter in for a hug.

"Mommy, mommy!" Emma protested, struggling in her mother's arms. "You'll wrinkle my gown, and then Regina will be upset!" Snow reluctantly released her daughter, who promptly went to fluffing her skirt out, and smoothing down her bodice. She looked up at her mother. "I couldn't even breathe." She claimed, one eyebrow arched.

"Just wait until you try a corset." Regina said, with a sardonic look toward Emma. She rolled her shoulders back. "Alright," she began. She handed Emma her basket, and took her own bouquet of white roses, pink peonies, and violets. "Let's get this show on the road." She exhaled.

And with that, the organ started to play the first hauntingly beautiful chords of a love song to commemorate the moment that the former thief, Robin of Locksley, and the former Evil Queen, Regina, sealed their love eternally. After a few moments, the bridesmaids began to make their way down the hall to the altar, as the string quartet fluttered in a few notes, blending beautifully with the organ. Then Emma frolicked down the hall, sprinkling flower petals as she went, an enormous grin spread upon her young face.

Her parents looked on with great pride.

When Regina finally made her entrance, it was every bit as royally fantastic as it had been when she had been the Evil Queen, crashing weddings and royal balls.

Robin looked at her as if she was the only one in the room. And on her face the same look was directed right back.

When she reached the altar, they joined hands and the true ceremony began. She spoke her vows and promised her eternal love to him with a grin on her face to match the happiness filling her heart, and he did the same. When the preacher announced for them to kiss, he dipped her as if they were dancing a waltz, and kissed her with every fiber in his being.

Emma gagged.

The entire room burst into applause, tears, and laughter.

Afterwards, at the wedding reception, Emma met her first (human) and very best friend.

"It was you, wasn't it?" The little girl asked with a smirk.

"Hey, now!" Belle scolded, a smile on her face. "You don't want to spoil it, do you?"

The little girl gave her an unamused look. "I'm the only one here. And I've heard it before." She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her chin.

Belle shook her head in amusement. "That you have." She said, and continued her tale.

Belle French was a princess from a neighboring kingdom, visiting with her mother and father in order to attend the wedding of Regina and Robin. She was as old as Emma, but quite a bit more reserved. Less adventurous in the obvious way. And much more bookishly daring, rather than actively.

"Emma," Snow said, holding her daughter's hand, and walking her towards a couple and their small daughter. "I'd like you to meet King Maurice and Queen Colette of the Rose of the Everlasting Heart Kingdom, and their daughter, Belle." She nudges Emma on the side of her arm, and Emma curtsies.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Emma states politely.

Belle smiles tentatively at her. "You, as well." She replies.

They stand there for a while, awkwardly shifting in place, until finally, Emma asks, "Do you want to play?" She raises her eyebrows in invitation.

"Okay." Belle agrees, a smile on her face.

The girls run off together and Charming yells after them, "Don't go getting into any trouble, Emma!"

Emma glances back at him over her shoulder. "Never, Daddy." She giggles, and continues to run off with her new friend. Charming groans and rubs his hand over his face.

"What is it?" Maurice asks him. "Belle is certainly no troublemaker and Emma seems to be a proper young lady." He raises a brow at the younger man in confusion.

"'Seems to be' is the key phrase in that statement." He mutters, staring at the back of his daughter as she fades from view.

Snow and Colette laugh.

Emma leads Belle into the garden outside of the chapel.

"Where are we going?" Belle asks her, intrigued.

"On an adventure!" Emma exclaims excitedly.

"An adventure? But I've only ever read about them in books." Belle replies worriedly.

Emma turns to face her, a huge grin blossoming on her face. "Well, now you'll get to live one." She says, and goes back to her task of combing around the wild berry bush.

"What are you doing?" Belle asks.

"Looking for Speedy." Emma calmly replies.

"Who?"

"Speedy. My dragon."

"Dragon?" Belle questions, eyes near bulging out of her head. "But dragons are dangerous!" She claims, backing slightly away from Emma, as though she wanted to stay and play with the girl, come danger or none at all, but she was still frightened of the impending danger lurking in the presence of a dragon-a creature she'd never encountered, yet she'd read about quite avidly.

"Speedy is not dangerous." Emma said stubbornly and forcefully, as she stuck out her chin, as though she dared the other girl to defy her. She didn't. "He's my friend."

"You have a dragon for a friend?" Belle asked curiously.

"Yep." Emma replied happily. "And you're gonna meet him. Speedy?! Speedy! Speedy, where are you, buddy?" Emma called for the dragon, knowing that she'd told him to wait for her outside of the chapel earlier this morning, hoping to play with him after the ceremony.

At that very instant, Speedy flew out from the bush and into the air, stopping midway, and hovered above the girls. Belle gasped at the suddenness of it all, whilst Emma giggled uncontrollably.

"Speedy, get down here!" Emma laughed.

The dragon obeyed its young master, and gently lowered itself to the ground. Emma ran straight to him, and he nuzzled into her as she began to stroke his back. Emma turned towards Belle then, giggling when Speedy turned with her and licked her cheek. "See?" She said, grinning madly at the girl. "He's harmless."

Belle couldn't help but giggle as well, when she hesitantly stepped toward the dragon and he surged forward to lick and nuzzle her, too. "He is harmless!" She laughed.

"I told you!" Emma claimed. "Now, let's have an adventure!" She yelled, as she unceremoniously mounted the dragon, and reached out a hand toward Belle. "Well," she asked, a pointed look on her face. "Aren't you coming?"

Belle only hesitated a moment, and then joined Emma on the first actual adventure of her life.

And it was fantastical.

But also got them in quite a bit of trouble.

"Emma." Charming and Snow breathed in unison and faced each other, as chaos erupted in the parlor of the hall where the wedding reception was being held. Guests were shrieking and flailing about their arms, all running towards the great doors in the front of the hall. Only a few words could be made out amidst the chaos, and yet, one word stuck out in particular.

Dragon.

Apparently, a giant fire-breathing dragon had been circling around the outside of the hall, with two young sorceresses upon its hideous back, glamouring it to attack the guests of those who were attending the wedding of the former Queen Regina, as she had deeply wronged them in the past.

The story sounded like a tale that a sailor might spin when he was on shore leave and visiting a rowdy tavern.

It also spread throughout the room as quickly as wildfire.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Grumpy yelled, running towards his King and beloved Queen. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

"Grumpy, wha-" Snow started, as her friend came hurtling towards her, our of breath, when abruptly stopped as she darted her eyes to the window and gasped in recognition.

"Snow, what is it?" Charming asked, but realized his question was pointless, as he followed his wife's eyes, and his own widened in turn, in recognition.

"Emma." Charming and Snow breathed in unison and faced each other.

Grumpy looked between the two with a scowl plastered on his face. "Emma? Of course it's not Emma. What are you, stupid?" He spat, his grumpiness clearly getting the best of him.

Charming looked mildly offended, and Snow glared at the dwarf. He immediately softened.

"I mean," he started slowly, chuckling nervously. "It couldn't possibly be Emma. It's two sorceresses on a hideous beast who have beef with the Evil Queen." He finished with a sneer. Grumpy-true to his name-wasn't quite as forgiving as the rest of his brothers when it came to Regina, despite the fact that he had been the one to whom she had plead mercy, before creating a truce with Snow and Charming. He still happened to be quite wary of her-yet so did most of the people in the kingdom of the Enchanted Forest. And those living nearby.

Charming sighed in annoyance. "It's not a hideous beast, nor is it two sorceresses." He explained tiredly. "It's Speedy. And Emma and Princess Belle riding on his back." He raised an eyebrow at Grumpy, silently asking him to understand.

Grumpy's eyes widened. "So...Emma's under attack? Oh, no!" He yelled, trying to edge past the King and Queen to save the Princess.

Snow and Charming sighed in frustration.

"No." Snow stated firmly. "Emma is not under attack, nor is anyone here. Emma is, however, in a great deal of trouble." She said with authority, glancing at her husband.

"I agree." He replied. And with that, they left their angry dwarf friend behind and made their way outside to reach their daughter.

"What a lovely wedding surprise!" Robin exclaimed excitedly, his son hoisted up on his shoulders, laughing, and his bride, Regina beside him. Snow and Charming hurried towards them.

"What is lovely?" Snow asked, wondering what on earth he could possibly claim as exciting when a dragon had crashed his wedding.

Lord only knew how it could set Regina off.

(What she didn't plan on, however, was just how much Regina adored Emma. And just how creative Emma could be, given the proper tools and motivation.)

"Emma's wedding present!" Regina yelled, laughter clear in her voice. She pointed above her, and Snow looked to the sky, finally realizing what everyone had been gazing and smiling at.

There, above the wedding party and numerous guests, was Emma and Belle riding upon Speedy. And yet, written in the sky-with what appeared to be the smoke of Speedy's fiery breath-was the words, "Happy wedding, Regina and Robin. Love long and prosper! Love, Speedy, Belle, and Emma." The message was finished with the figure of a heart.

Snows eyes reared up. "Oh, Emma!" She yelled up to her daughter, pride clear in her voice. "That's beautiful. How sweet of you. But now, GET DOWN FROM THERE!" She finished, fear and anger alike aimed toward her daughter for defying the rule she and Charming had set for Emma years before.

No flying without permission.

Especially not in the middle of a wedding reception.

"Uh oh," Emma said to Belle, who sat behind her on the dragon. "Guess we better get down. Mommy doesn't like it when I fly on Speedy." She shrugged.

"Wait, we're not allowed to do this?" Belle asked disbelievingly.

"So?" Emma said with a grin. "Live a little." Then she grabbed Speedy's ears and pulled up gently, coaxing him to land on the ground at her parent's feet.

Her mother grabbed her and embraced her, holding Emma tightly against her in a forceful hug. Tears streamed down Snow's face as she considered the nonexistent, yet highly plausible, consequences of Emma's rash and foolish actions. "Never again," she whispered in her daughter's ear. She pulled back from the embrace and looked Emma square in the eye. "Will you ever scare me like that. I can't have that Emma, I can't. You don't know how worried we were!" She pleaded with her daughter.

Charming appeared at his wife's side. "It's true, Emma." He said firmly. "We were so worried. We always will be worried. You can't frighten us that way."

Emma flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." She said, and looked at her parents imploringly. "But I was only trying to have an adventure! And I wanted to show Belle what Speedy could do! And I wanted to give Regina a wedding present!"

"We already got Regina a wedding present, sweetheart." Her mother told her, with a tilt of her head. "And you and Belle could have had just as much fun on the ground with Speedy as you did in the sky."

"Not really," Emma muttered, her eyes downcast.

Her parents sighed.

"Well, you are in trouble. Big trouble." Her mother told her, with a raise of her eyebrows.

"But mommy!" Emma started, the in fathomable prospect of her punishment enough to frighten her into bargaining.

"No." Snow stated firmly, standing and placing her hands on her hips in an authoritative stance.

"But-" Her mother looked at her sharply, and the words died on her tongue. She turned to looks towards her father. "Daddy, can't I just-"

Charming shook his head and interrupted her. "Emma, I'm sorry, but I agree with your mother. What you did was extremely dangerous and you can't do that again. The only way you are going to learn is if we punish you." He looked at his daughter sadly; he hated punishing her. "I'm sorry."

Emma huffed in frustration. She looked to Belle who was also being punished by her parents nearby, for causing such destruction at the wedding of a queen and for frightening them. Belle glanced at Emma and they shared a smile.

It had been worth it, after all.

"If I may," Regina piped up, walking slowly towards the Charming family and their daughter. "Emma really didn't do much damage. And dear," she said, looking down upon her favorite little girl. "I absolutely adore the wedding present. It's fantastic!" She beamed at the little girl. Emma grinned back happily.

"I know, right?" She exclaimed.

Regina turned back towards Snow and Charming. "See, it wasn't all that terrible. So, I don't think there's any real need for you to punish Emma."

"I'm sorry, Regina." Snow began, frustration seeping into her tone. "But Emma really scared us and she needs to understand that she can't do things like that again without facing severe consequences." She smiled at her former stepmother and looked past her towards her new husband and his son. "You'll understand once you have children of your own."

Regina nodded her head begrudgingly, and looked at Emma with a sad smile. "I tried." She told her.

"Yeah," Emma said sadly. "You did."

Regina chuckled.

A year and a half later, when Emma was seven, there was a new addition being added unto the royal family-by way of Regina.

Regina had gone into labor in the middle of March, when Robin had decided to take Roland and assist Charming on a hunting trip to a neighboring kingdom. Regina had waved off his concern and hesitance to leave her in such a heavily pregnant state by claiming, "Go, I'm fine! Have your fun on the trip, dear, and I will still be pregnant when you return." She smiled widely at her husband.

He went on the trip, and three days later, Regina's water had broke.

"I can't believe he isn't back yet!" Regina complained angrily, while Snow helped her into the bed where she would give birth to her first born child. "It's been two days since we sent the messenger! I can't believe he even went in the first place! Damn man." Regina huffed and pitched about in anger.

"Regina, it had to have taken the messenger at least two days to find them, which he probably hasn't even done yet. And then they have to make it back here. And you told him to go!" Snow tried to reason with the heavily pregnant and stubborn woman.

"Well, he shouldn't have listened to me!"

"Now, Regina, you've kept this baby in for far longer than you should have. I think its time for you to start pushing and let this child be born." Snow pleaded with her desperately.

"Oh! What do you know? You've had one child and she popped out almost immediately after you went into labor. And your charming husband was here." She added snidely. "I need him here!" Regina cried, as another wave of contractions hit her sharply.

"And he is here." Robin Hood said smoothly as he entered the room. "Milady." He greeted Snow with a wink as he passed her by and took her place holding his wife's hand. "I'm sorry I was late, sweetheart." He leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"How did you get here so quickly?" Regina asked him, awestruck.

He chuckled in response. "As soon as the Prince and I received word that you were due to give birth, I had hurried to the Kingdom's most renowned wizard-with lovely directions from the ever helpful young Mr. Jones, you'll meet him shortly, I am sure-and had asked him to give me the fastest way to get here, to get to you. He was a rather...odd man, and he had acquired an enchanted a sort of carpet years ago from a thieving young lad once the lad had married, and he lent it to the Prince, Roland, and I, and our two young companions. I came as quickly as I could." He smiled warmly at his wife.

"I'm glad you did." She smiled back.

Snow cleared her throat rather awkwardly from her place by the door. "I'm sorry, but you said two young companions?" She asked. Robin nodded his assent. "And who might they be?"

"Why don't you go and see for yourself, your highness?" He asked her, with a strange smile on his face. "I'd imagine your husband is doing a fine job of introducing them to the young Emma right now."

Snow looked at him, confusion clear on her face. "Alright." She said and backed out of the room. "I'll send Doc in, Regina."

"Thank you, Snow." Regina replied honestly. "For everything."

Snow smiled warmly. "You're very welcome." Then she turned and disappeared down the hall.

"Well," Robin said, clapping his hands together once. "Let's have a baby, why don't we?"

"Yes, let's." Regina replied, and then immediately shrieked as another contraction overtook her. Doc rushed in at the sound, and twenty excruciatingly long and painful minutes later, another cry burst through the air. It was the cry of a newborn baby.

Regina let her head fall back against the pillow, as tears streamed down her face. Robin was smiling broadly, but his grin faltered as he looked down at his wife. "Why so sad, beautiful lady? We have a child." He asked with concern.

Regina took a deep breath. "It's not that I'm sad. It's just that I never thought I'd have this-this life, with you. I never thought I'd find love again after Daniel, and then after all of the pain I inflicted, the suffering I caused. I never thought I'd have a baby." She smiled tearfully up at him. "It's all just so overwhelming."

"Well, it doesn't have to be overwhelming for you alone. I'll be here for all of the rest of your journeys." He replied.

They shared a smile.

"Well, your Majesty." Doc interrupted, causing both of their heads to turn towards the tiny dwarf doctor. He held the blanketed bundle up in his arms for them to see. "It appears you have a son." He smiled at the couple.

"We have a son!" Regina exclaimed happily.

"We have a son." Robin agreed.

Doc brought the little bundle over to them, and Regina took her son in her arms. He squirmed a bit, but after a few moments he had relaxed into his mother. He closed his eyes and slept peacefully against her breast. Regina smiled down at him, and then looked up at Robin, a determined look in her gaze.

"What is it?" Her husband asked her. "Have you finally decided on a name?"

"Henry." She said with a smile. "His name is Henry, after my father."

Robin smiled back at her. "Henry it is, then." He agreed, and they both turned their gazes downward to once again look at their son.

Meanwhile, Charming had been downstairs looking for Emma. Snow saw him once she had left the room in which Regina was to be having her baby, and rushed over towards him.

"Snow!" He called to his wife, a grin on his face. "Have you seen Emma?"

Snow looked at him questioningly. "She's probably in her room, playing with Belle." He hurried past her to get to the steps which lead to his daughter's room. "Charming, aren't you going to tell me what's going on?" She asked, clearly baffled by her husband's odd behavior.

"Snow, of course I will." He reassured her. "But I would like to tell you all together." He flashed her a quick grin, and then hurried past her to get to Emma's room.

Once Charming had forced Emma to follow him down the steps from her room-where she had been playing alone, as Belle had left a few hours before-he endured her endless assault of questions.

"Daddy, where did you go hunting to? Daddy, did Regina have a boy or a girl baby? Daddy, did Robin come back with you? Daddy, what did you get me?"

The line of questioning from his daughter was, while harmless, almost as brutal as that of an enemy's attack on his kingdom.

Charming sighed with a smile. "Emma, will you please just come downstairs with me?"

She searched his gaze with her eyes for a moment. Seemingly finding whatever she was looking for, she huffed out a breath and agreed.

Once they reached the first floor of the castle, he led her and her mother into the Great Hall (where they usually took their breakfast) where two very suspicious looking-in Emma's opinion-young men sat. Charming grinned widely at his wife and daughter.

Snow looked a mixture between awestruck, confused, and concerned.

Emma just looked annoyed and mildly put-off.

"Emma, Snow," David began, eyes lit up in excitement. "I'd like you to meet the Jones brothers. This is Liam," he said and gestured toward the one who looked the elder of the two, who nodded his head in a polite gesture as the King introduced him. "And this is Killian." Charming finished, gesturing toward the younger of the two-the one who looked about Emma's age.

The Jones Brothers were interesting enough, that they were. Liam appeared to be several years older than Killian-perhaps in his early teens, by Emma's estimation. Killian looked to be around seven or eight. Liam had light, curly locks, and a slight smattering of darker facial hair sprouting on his cheeks and chin. Definitely a teenager. Or something like that. He was tall as he stood and extended his hand towards her mother, and quite attractive. However, he did not seem very clean. Neither of them did, actually, though that hardly bothered Emma.

She could get down and rough and dirty with the best of them.

She liked to play outside in the dirt-as did Belle.

Killian, however, was different. He was small and skinny-as though he'd been hungry for quite some time. Not that his brother didn't, just-Killian looked like he'd been spending far longer than his brother had being hungry. But maybe that was due to the fact that he was so young.

He had jet black hair that stood up in tufts all around his head, and skin that was slightly tanner than that of his elder brother's. When he stood, Emma realized that he was an inch or so shorter than her, yet he did look somewhat older-as though he had aged beyond his years. His eyes were like that of his brother's-enchanting-but more so. A piercing, icy blue. Like that of the sea in the early morn, after the sunset of the dawn.

His eyes are what drew her in.

Since the moment Emma walked into the room, Killian hadn't taken his eyes off of her. When he glanced up at her as she walked in the room, his eyes widened and then...he just stared at her. And continued to stare at her, even when he had been shaking hands with her mother.

It freaked her out.

Emma narrowed her eyes at Killian and turned to her father. "Daddy, did you get me a present?" There was a gleam of mischief in her eyes.

"Emma!" Her mother scolded, shocked. "We have guests." She said lowly, her eyes flicking over to the boys.

Charming chuckled. "Snow, it's fine." He knelt down to look his daughter in the eye. "And just why are you asking me if I got you anything?" He raised a brow.

Emma smiled sweetly. "Because I want a present?" She asked.

Charming shook his head. "No, that's not it." He narrowed his eyes at his daughter in the same fashion she had with Killian before. He lowered his voice as he added, "Are you wondering why these boys are here?"

Her eyes flashed and after a moment of hesitance, she nodded.

"Emma, are you worried that now that two boys are here, I'm not going to have time for you?" Her father asked-ever the perceptive one when it came to his daughter. After all, she had inherited his tact.

Emma blinked a few times and nodded again.

"Emma. Of course I won't." He continued, quietly, so that no one else would overhear them. "I'm always going to be your father. And you're always going to be my daughter. Nothing will change that. Ever." He told her honestly.

She smiled, soft and small.

He smiled back.

Charming stood up and looked at Snow, who was still looking at her husband curiously. "Snow, Robin and I found Liam and Killian in an abandoned cottage. Their mother has recently passed and their father abandoned them. I couldn't just leave them where they were." He shared a silent look with his wife. "I was thinking that they could stay here. In the palace. For a while." He said with a hint of authority in his tone. However, his tone also held some hesitance and hope. He waited for his wife to speak.

Snow looked at Charming, and then at each of the boys in turn. She sighed lightly. "I suppose that would be alright." She said with a hint of a smile. "It will be fine. Of course you two can say." She said happily.

The boys smiled widely and Liam thanked her parents graciously. Yet, Emma noticed that Killian still had his eyes on her.

_'Well,'_ she thought. _'This was going to be a long 'while'.'_

Long and exciting.

* * *

**So...yeah, there's that. Hehe. Emma and Killian met! Sparks flew. Well, for him, for sure. She'll get there. Sooner, rather than later. Hey, at least she didn't spit on him like Catherine Earnshaw did when she met Heathcliff! Talk about a heated first meeting! And, I couldn't resist putting Liam in; I mean, I know that Heathcliff was all alone, but this story is only loosely based off of WH, and shall have hints of PotC and TPB in it as well, so..plus, the addition of Liam will help to make more sense out of Killian's "mysterious" departure-like that of Heathcliff's-in later chapters. **

**And, not everything that happens will be told to the little girl by Belle. Think, HIMYM. You guys will read the sex and get to know the perspectives of Emma and Killian, but the little girl will not be hearing that and getting scarred for life. **

**Also, I'm actually kinda glad I posted this today-it's the one year anniversary of my first tattoo-I got it on SD Comic Con day 2014. ;)**

**Musical Inspiration: I didn't really have much. Probably just Ed Sheeran-because that man has the voice of an angel, I swear. Umm, "There's No Place Like Home" from the Lost soundtrack because that song is epic and uplifting and I wish it was my theme song. And, obviously, the CaptainSwan theme song, for when they meet. **


End file.
